Goose down can kind of be compared to human hair; to the extent a single ounce of fluffy down fill contains about 2 million interlocking filaments. Can you imagine how long it would take to fill a blanket with human hair? Goose down is delicate and springy, but completely insulating, which makes it so incredibly desirable for comforters.
What is Fill Power?
Fill power basically means measuring the loft power of goose down and its ability to trap air. To measure fill power, one ounce of down is compressed in a small glass cylinder. When the weight is removed, the down’s ability to spring back can be measured. Down with a higher fill power rating is more resilient to compression, lofts better, and can trap more air
For example, one (1) ounce of 800 fill power goose down will loft to 800 cubic inches. The higher the fill power the larger the down cluster. Larger down clusters will loft higher; sleep softer, last longer and sleep warmer.
Facts about Fill Power:
- The higher the fill power the larger the down clusters.
- The larger the down cluster the higher the quality.
- The higher the quality the longer it will retain its loft and firmness.
- The larger the down cluster the more mature the bird from which it came.
- The larger the down cluster the more air it traps.
- The larger the down cluster the higher it will loft.
- The larger the down cluster the better the insulating power.
- The larger the down cluster the lighter the down pillow, down comforter or feather bed will be.
For use in down bedding such as comforters and pillows, fill power is all about quality, loft and how long a pillow will retain its firmness. The higher the fill power the higher the quality, the higher it will loft and the longer it will retain its firmness. Firmness is determined by the higher fill power of down applied to the pillow and then is adjusted by the amount of down stuffed into the pillow shell.
It represents loft, quality and how warm you are going to feel at night. If you have a high puff-up in your comforter, chances are it is of a very superior quality. These big billowy marshmallow type comforters are the authentic luxurious goose down comforter. A high fill comforter is going to last a very long, long time. It will be the most durable bedding product you own.
You can also benefit from more down comfort by investing in a featherbed mattress topper. Imagine the rest you could get from adding both. Fill power will retain its loft and firmness, and not shift to corners of the comforter (which is why baffle box construction is used). Speaking of baffle box construction, there is a few different types out there available with double-shell being the very best.
A double-shell design for down pillows further enhances the longevity of your down pillows. A baffle box designs for down comforters so that the down clusters are free to reach their maximum loft and fluffiness.
As a consumer you should be looking for both the highest quality down, determined by using fill power, but also be looking for a design to allow the down fill to reach it maximum loft. The design that allows down to reach its maximum loft is a baffle box design.
Choose designs because they are the most efficient designs for allowing the down to reach its maximum loft. There is nothing better than a big billowy and all fluffed up down comforter. When you are shopping for a comforter, keep the fill power in mind, as this is one of the more important decisions to be made when investing in a goose down comforter.
